Recently I have been
preaching sermons on topics submitted by the members of the church. I thought that was a good idea until someone
requested I preach from Genesis 38. It’s not your typical children’s bedtime
Bible story. It’s more on the lines of a scandalous storyline for a daytime
soap opera.
Read it yourself, but here’s
a brief synopsis: A man, Judah, has a wicked adult son who is put to death by
God leaving Judah’s daughter-in-law, Tamar, a young widow. As culture would have it, the man’s brother
was responsible for taking his brother’s widow as a wife, but he refuses. Tamar,
desperate to have a child, disguises herself as a prostitute and seduces her
unsuspecting father-in-law to sleep with her. She becomes pregnant and breaks
the news to her father-in-law that he is the father. Talk about an awkward
conversation!
To top it off, Judah
is the great-grandson of the father of the Jewish nation, the great man of
faith Abraham. This is not the news that you post on social media: “So proud of
my great-grandson who is expecting a child with his daughter-in-law. Oh, by the
way, he didn’t know he was sleeping with his daughter-in-law; he thought she
was a prostitute. The couple is registered at your local ‘Oops-a-Baby’”.
To top it off even
more, this prostitute-soliciting Judah and disguised-prostitute Tamar are
included in the genealogy of Jesus! The Gospel of Matthew makes a particular
point to include Tamar in Jesus’ genealogy. This story is part of Jesus’ family
heritage. These are Jesus’ people!
Why is this story in
the Bible? Shouldn’t this have been one of those family secrets swept under the
rug?
The interesting thing
is that this isn’t the only story in the Bible where the faults of biblical
luminaries are revealed. Israel’s great king David slept with a married woman
AND arranged for her husband’s death! Ark-building Noah got a little tipsy in
the days after the flood. Israel’s strong man Samson had a weakness for women
and an anger issue. The apostle Peter lied about knowing Jesus to save his own
hide. The Bible is the story of a bunch of sinners and mess-ups! But why?
I suspect that God
included these less-than-complimentary stories in the Bible to remind us all
that God uses less-than-perfect people to carry out his work.
Never should we allow
the failings of others or God’s grace to be a license to sin, but neither
should we allow our weaknesses and sin to lead us to believe we are outside of
God’s plan and his grace. Stories like Genesis 38 remind us that God uses
imperfect people. Stories like Genesis 38 remind us that even imperfect people
are Jesus’ people.
Don’t we all have skeletons in our closets? Don’t we all have stories we’ve swept under the rug?
Whatever you have done; whatever salacious
story you have; whatever failings are in your past; whatever sin you’re dealing
with right now; whatever failings await you in the future – there’s nothing
you’ve done that hasn’t been done before; no confessed sin that can’t be
forgiven; no person who is outside of God’s love and his purpose. God can use you - imperfect you. He really
has no other option since we are all less-than-perfect.
Thank you, Lord, for
you grace and forgiveness. Even as I try to live a holy life, remind me that
your love and purposes are greater than my sins and faults. Remind me that you
use imperfect people like me to carry out your perfect plan of redemption.
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